Saturday, March 12, 2011

Tweedle-dum or tweedle-dee?

Does anyone other than a few hundred political backroom operatives in Ottawa really want an election?

That’s a question I asked a friend of mine in Ottawa last night who’s in the polling business. Her answer: not really. The great unwashed masses out here could care less about an election because generally things are going pretty good. The economy is doing ok, the jobless numbers are in the acceptable range and most people have enough food on the table so they’re not going hungry. She said it’s a typical minority government situation – where the party that is governing can’t afford to do anything drastic like slash services so things roll along ok.

That certainly would appear to be the case here on the Avalon. We’ve never really had it better and although not a lot of the oil/gas profits have made their way to the rural areas of the province as they have here in town, most people will tell you they’re not too bad off. An election is not really on the radar for the majority of Canadians although the game of “truth or dare” being played in Ottawa looks like it’s going to bring us there.

What it’s going to bring us is a $600+ million exercise in attack ads, promises that never will be kept, more baby and ass kissing than you can imagine and the reality that there is very little choice between the Tory sleaze and the Grit confusion. For many people, it will be a choice not so much between the political parties but whether to bother voting at all. Some are suggesting that hitting 50% participation would be a miracle because of the political apathy in the country. With the polls sitting the way they are now, there’s every indication that all an election will do is bring us more of the same.

The elections law says the next election is scheduled for October 15, 2012 but Harper hasn't respected that since he's been the Prime Minister so don't bother reminding him of his own law - he could care less.

More of the same will mean Harper continues to be a sleaze, Ignatieff continues to prove he’s not a leader and Layton will be hobbled by the traditional NDP liabilities. If Elizabeth May doesn’t win a seat this time, then it will time for her to fold her tent. As for the BQ – frankly who cares? More of the same.

Despite all of that, gird your loins for an election likely to be called for either May 2nd or May 9th. For those offering for public office in St. John’s, good luck and please stay away from my door.

6 comments:

Government Funded Blogger said...

Good post! Personally I have always liked minority governments.Majority governments are dictatorships,I don't care which party gets elected to one.

Wisewebwoman said...

Boy, Veep, you've caught a case of the cynics too, it is hard to get excited about the political scene here when "The Harper Government" brand is embossed on all the letterhead out of Ottawa and no one gives a rat's arse.
XO
WWW

ViewPoint2010 said...

GFB, I agree with you 100% Those of young enough to remember can recall that it was a minority gov't that brought in medicare at the behest (and support) of the NDP lo these many years ago. While there are issues with it, it still means that you and I can get things like cataract surgery for no cost beyond taxation. I've seen three medical specialists in the last few months that cost me nothing more than my MCP card. Yup, I like minority governments too.

ViewPoint2010 said...

WildWebWoman, they've all lost my trust and when that happens, little remains except for cynicism. I'll continue to criticize from my comfortable position as armchair quarterback.

Brian said...

Perhaps the best outcome of any election if held would be an NDP minority.
Things may get done then.

But we wont hold our breaths for that will we? Canadians [most] are way too conservative for any radical thinking.

ViewPoint2010 said...

I fear the NDP is destined to be the "third" party for precisely the reason you say - at heart, most of us are either conservative or liberal but god forbid, NOT socialist. I think an NDP minority government could be a refreshing change from what we've had over the last decades. They've had some good ideas but I sense they need to break free from some of the elites within the party who control the agenda too tightly.